Hey, I'm alive! Now here's Leif being a bi disaster for like 10k words lmao

little TW for Kimberly and the shotgun of queerphobic slurs that is her speech pattern

enjoy!

---

Roxy panted, her legs and lungs burning as she ran down the dark hallway. There were people all around, milling about and talking to each other, searching through lockers and staring at their phones. None of them seemed to notice her fear, nor did they react to the man that was chasing her. He was steadily gaining. She could hear his tinny laughter and pounding footsteps as he grew closer and closer. Realising she had no choice but to turn and fight, she stopped.

He was tall and lanky, old, with a full head of grey hair. His eyes held all of the hatred and evil in the universe. His smile instilled in her a dread so deep that she couldn’t escape from it. He approached, closer and closer, and Roxy struck. Her fist surged forward in a powerful jab, colliding with his nose with a satisfying crunch. He fell back, clutching the wound, and Leif hit the ground of the alleyway, looking up at Roxy with hurt in her eyes.

“Roxy? What was that for?!”

Roxy paused as she watched the blood drip from between Leif’s fingers. She stepped forward and reached out in an attempt to help her. “N-no, I didn’t-”

“Get the fuck away from me!” Leif cried, slapping her hand away. Roxy backed up as the guilt set in. She just broke her friend’s nose. Leif was looking at her like she was a monster. Roxy turned and ran before the tears that were building in her eyes could spill out. He was still coming for her, after all. She wasn’t safe.

She ran down the street and turned into another alley, only to realise it was a dead end. She turned around, but the entrance was blocked by a chain-link fence.

“I told you, Roxanne. You’re better off with me. Or, is it that you want to keep hurting your friends?”

She turned around again and he was there, taunting her.

“Shut up!” she screamed, swinging at him with the claws that had sprouted from her fingers. They raked across his cheek in three distinct lines and Sam collapsed to the ground, screaming and trying to stem the flow of blood. Horror struck her body like lightning as she realised what she’d done. She stepped forward and tried to help.

“Sam, I’m so sorry, it was an accident!”

Sam whimpered and backed away, pure terror on her face. “N-no… s-s-stay away!”

“How many more mistakes will it take before you realise, Roxanne? How many lives will you ruin before it’s over?”

Against every instinct in her body, Roxy turned and ran, leaving Sam alone. She was better off without her. She sprinted through white corridors, taking turns at random through the underground maze of the outpost. Surely she would lose him here.

He was there again, in front of her. Smiling.

That was it. She was finishing this. He wasn’t going to leave her alone unless she stopped him for good. She drew the gun on her hip and fired. The bullet hit his leg and a girl collapsed to the ground; a girl with black hair and olive skin, covered in cuts and bruises and burns and blood. Roxy. Herself.

Her pack stared back at her with rage and fury on their faces, no love to be found. Sam cradled her wounded body as Pedro pulled his gun. Leif rushed to stop the bleeding as Pedro fired.

A loud bang.

A flash.

Falling.

Stillness.

Roxy opened her eyes to a concrete ceiling. She was lying on a table, her arms and legs restrained. Emmerich was there. She couldn’t escape him. Why had she even tried? He always won in the end, always hurt her again. At least with him, she wouldn’t be hurting her friends. She was better off here, where no one but her would get hurt as a result of her actions. 

“I always knew you had it in you, Roxanne. You’ve made the right choice.”

She tried to respond, but found that she had no voice. Emmerich grabbed a scalpel off of a tray and cut her open, unzipping her from crotch to throat. The pain was blinding, unimaginable, but she couldn’t scream, couldn’t move. She could do nothing as he stuck his hands into the wound and explored her insides.

He pulled out her organs one by one, examining them, weighing them, and setting them aside. He sawed her ribcage off. He laid her intestines out to see how long they were. He squished her lungs in his hands. By the time he was finished she was nothing but an empty husk, neither alive nor dead. A useless, worthless sack of flesh whose only purpose was as a receptacle for the all-consuming agony that was lighting up every nerve like fire. This was where she belonged. Nothing more than a toy to be used, discarded and-

She became aware of a comforting weight on her chest, suddenly muting the pain, blurring it. She was confused. She didn’t have a chest anymore, so where was this feeling coming from? How could she feel it? What was-

—

Roxy woke up with a strangled gasp.

She opened her eyes. Above her was the familiar ceiling of her room. She could freely move her arms and legs. All of her organs were - presumably - in their rightful places. And as for the weight on her chest-

It was her new cat, Mr. Slinky. He was peering up at her in the darkness, his one green eye blinking curiously. She dropped her head back against the pillow with a heavy sigh, bringing a hand up to rest in Slinky’s fur.

It was just a dream.

Roxy couldn’t help herself; she started crying. It was all too much. The nightmares never stopped. It felt like she never left that damn place. It wasn’t just Emmerich, either. All that other stuff, about her accidentally hurting everyone she cared about. It hurt because she knew it was true. So much pain could have been avoided for so many people if it wasn’t for her. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were. She wanted to be normal again, to not constantly be haunted by the ghost of the man who ruined her body and left his permanent mark on her mind. Honestly, she was considering strategically smashing her head with a brick just so that she could forget about it.

Her crying was interrupted when a small, rough tongue suddenly started licking her chin. A sad chuckle found its way past her lips and she turned onto her side, scratching her cat behind his ear as he purred. “Is it hard for you too, Mr. Slinky? Do you get nightmares as well?”

She knew the answer was probably some form of ‘yes.’ He clearly had his issues as well. It had been a few weeks since she adopted him, and he still refused to let anyone other than her touch him. He was beginning to warm up to Sam a bit, but she suspected that that was likely just because she was covered in Roxy’s scent more often than not. They’d taken him to the vet after she first found him. He seemed to be around three years old, was already up to date on all of his vaccinations and everything, was already neutered, and he even seemed to be house-trained. It was clear that someone had owned him before she found him. She wondered if they were the one who hurt him, or if that was someone else, some time after he ended up on the street.

Her phone chimed and she blindly grabbed it off of the bedside table. It was a message from Sam.

Sammie <3

(1:18am) You okay?

Not really. Bad dream (1:18am)

(1:18am) Want me to come over?

Yes pls. Could use a cuddle (1:19am)

(1:19am) Omw. luv u xx

Thanks. Love you too (1:19am)

Roxy sighed and set her phone back down, burying her face in Mr. Slinky’s fur. Sam was always so supportive, always so caring. She would throw herself in front of a truck if she thought it would make Roxy feel better. It made her feel like such a burden. She already owed Sam her life at least two times over, and now she was going out of her way to come over at midnight just so Roxy could get a hug. What was she doing to pay her back? Nothing, that’s what. She was a terrible girlfriend. She was surprised that Sam still even put up with her. Her phone chimed again and she picked it back up.

Sammie <3

(1:21am) Hey, none of that guilty stuff. I can tell you’re thinking it! I couldn’t sleep anyway, and I’m always down for a cuddle, so don’t stress, ok?

Sorry. I just wish I could do more to pay you back for all you do for me (1:22am)

(1:22am) I do it bc I love you, not because I want something in return. Besides, even if you don’t realise it, you do lots for me <3

(1:22am) Now quit your guilty thoughts and get excited!!! Almost there!

(1:22am) Gonna squeeze you so hard!!

Roxy smiled and put her phone away again. Even just through text, Sam was already cheering her up. In truth, her bad mood annoyed her a little bit. Things had seemed like they were going so well for a couple of weeks there. She wasn’t having as many flashbacks, her nightmares were getting easier to handle, and she was starting to actually feel okay about her appearance again. Then she received a letter in the mail a few days ago; a court summons for November. The date of the trial had been set, and it was only two short months away. The thought of having to face Harrison again, even if he couldn’t hurt her, had brought what little progress she’d made crashing down. She would lie awake at night, dreading having to testify about what he and Emmerich did to her. She hadn’t even gone into detail with Sam yet, nor was she sure if she ever would. Sam only knew what she was able to piece together based on the tapestry of scars across Roxy’s body and from the memories of pain through her mark. She didn’t even like thinking about it, let alone talking about it. That didn’t matter to the court, though. Regardless of how she felt, she would still have to recount -in detail-  the most painful and humiliating experience of her life, and to a bunch of strangers, no less. But why, though? Didn’t they have enough evidence against Harrison already? Why did she need to suffer through that just so they could be extra-super sure that they had the right guy? It was stupid. At least she wouldn’t be alone in it, she supposed. Sam, Leif, and Pedro would all be testifying as well.

She startled at a knock on her window. Turning around, she saw Sam, smiling at her through the darkness. Roxy didn’t know what she’d been expecting, honestly. It wasn’t like she was going to come through the front door this late at night and risk incurring Martha’s wrath. She sat up and opened the latch for the window, closing it behind Sam once she was inside.

“Hey,” the blonde greeted. She turned to the cat, cooing. “And hello to you too, Mr. Slinky!”

As was by now expected, Mr. Slinky immediately jumped ship once Sam was close enough, returning to his pet bed in the corner. Sam shrugged. “Eh, it was worth a shot.”

“He’ll get used to you,” Roxy said.

Sam settled in next to Roxy and sighed. “I know, I just wish there was something I could do to make him more comfortable with me.” She grinned. “I guess I’ll just have to settle for cuddling with you in the meantime.” She grappled Roxy and dragged her down with her until they were lying face-to-face on Roxy’s pillow. She ran a gentle thumb along the dark circles that had taken up permanent residence under Roxy’s eyes. “You’ve been crying. Wanna talk about it?”

Roxy sighed and shifted around, turning away from Sam and shuffling backwards until she was fully enveloped by the warmth and comfort of her girlfriend’s body against her back. She didn’t really want to talk about it, but she knew it was probably a good idea not to bottle it up. It was just a dream, after all, nothing like talking about her actual experience, where going into the slightest bit of detail about what Emmerich did to her would send her spiralling into a panic attack, or worse. Sam silently looped an arm around her waist, grounding her with its comforting weight. 

“I just… had a really terrible dream. But what’s new there?” She chuckled humorlessly. Sucking in a breath, she continued. “It was him again, because of course it was. It’s always about him. He was chasing me, trying to get me, but every time I tried to fight back, I would always end up hurting one of you instead. I broke Leif’s nose, I gave you that scar on your face and I… I shot myself in the leg. In the end, he got me, like always. Everything after that point was just the usual torture porn bullshit that it always ends up being.” She sighed, a few tears welling up in her eyes. “I just want it to stop, Sam. It’s already been a month and a half since I got out, how much longer is it gonna take for me to be okay again? How long is it going to be before I can stop being scared of falling asleep and having to face him again?”

She turned back around as the tears started to flow again, burying her face against Sam’s chest. Sam held her close, stroking her back and whispering quiet comforts against her hair. “I’m so sorry, Rox. I wish I could do more to help you.”

“I-it’s fine,” Roxy said between sniffles. “You b-b-being here is m-more than enough.”

Sam hummed. “That stuff you said, about accidentally hurting us and yourself… I-I’m no expert, but it kind of sounds like you might subconsciously feel like you’re responsible for those things. Do you think that it’s your fault that Blaine slashed my face? Or that the hunter shot you?” Her voice was soft and held no hint of accusation, but Roxy wilted all the same.

“I-if you hadn’t needed t-to… to protect me, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt so bad. If I’d just respected your privacy, I never would’ve been on the hunter’s radar. I wouldn’t have needed to ask Leif for help with the stalker, and she wouldn’t have been hurt in the fight. They wouldn’t have kidnapped me and I wouldn’t have been shot. Pretty much everything bad that’s happened to us can be traced back to me in some way.”

“Roxy, Blaine attacked us out of pure chance, it could have been anybody that stumbled across him. What the hunters did to you isn’t your fault, either. They kidnapped you to get to me, not because you found their website. Your brain is just being an ass and telling you it’s your fault, because that’s how brains are. I think it would probably be really helpful if you talked to your therapist about this stuff.”

Roxy sighed. “You’re probably right. I’m sorry, I just… I don’t know, those thoughts have always been at the back of my mind, I guess with everything that’s happened they’ve finally decided to come to the surface.”

Sam kissed her on the forehead. “Stupid brain, be nicer to my girlfriend.”

At that point, a mew from somewhere behind Roxy pulled them both out of the conversation. She rolled onto her back and Mr. Slinky casually limped across her stomach like he owned it. He sniffed Sam’s hand where it laid on Roxy’s abdomen before curling up next to it. Sam and Roxy shared a surprised look and Sam cautiously moved her hand closer and closer until it made contact. When Mr. Slinky showed no signs of discomfort, Sam slowly started petting him properly, scratching behind his ears. A rumbly purr started up and Sam let out a quiet, high-pitched squeal of pure joy.

“Our son has chosen me,” she whispered, in absolute awe.

Roxy grinned. “I told you he’d come around. Wait, did you just call him ‘our son?’”

“Well, you adopted him, so you’re his mom now, and I’m your girlfriend. Doesn’t that make me some sort of step-mom? Mother number two?”

“You know what? Sure. We’re his moms.”

Roxy settled in and tried to get some shut-eye as Sam continued petting the purring ball of black fur on her stomach. Eventually, despite Sam’s constant cooing and the bike-engine purr that was vibrating through her belly, the grip of sleep took hold and she drifted off, surrounded by the warmth of her two furry idiots.

—

Leif sat in the cafeteria with her friends, mindlessly picking at her lunch and listening to Drew’s voice as he regaled her with some tale about a fight he’d been in or something. In truth, the actual contents of his story were completely lost to her. She was too busy focusing on the deep drawl of his accent and staring at his unfairly perfect features. She could feel Sam and Ross boring daggers into the back of her head for how obvious she knew she was being, but Drew hadn’t seemed to notice yet, so she was going to keep enjoying it for now, treating herself to fantasies of what might happen on the off chance this little crush actually bore fruit. She didn’t even have it in her to be cautious after what happened with Brooke. Similarly to Sam, Drew was far too much of a well-intentioned airhead to ever have any sort of ulterior motive like that. Leif liked to think so, anyway. 

Roxy hadn’t joined them yet, but that was because she’d taken the first half of the day off for a psych appointment. Leif didn’t really know why she would still bother coming to school for just the second half of the day, but to each their own, she supposed. It was probably more a matter of pride than anything else, to show that school couldn’t keep her down, no matter how much Leif knew it stressed her out to be around so many unsafe people.

Sam snorted from somewhere behind her and Leif tuned back into the world only to realise that Drew had stopped talking at some point and was smirking at her with a raised eyebrow. “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”

Busted.

Leif sputtered, her cheeks growing red. "N-no, I was listening!"

"Really? Then what did I say?" he asked with a grin, knowing he had her caught.

Leif helplessly glanced at Sam and sent out a desperate cry for assistance through their pack bonds. Sam only shook her head in response. She was on her own.

"I- uh… s-something about…" She sighed. There was no way she was getting out of this. "Okay, fine, I wasn't listening."

“Too busy staring at me, huh?”

Oh, so he really had her caught, then. Fine, two could play at that game. She buried her fluster and grinned back at him. “What can I say? Your face is nice to look at.”

Drew’s face flashed with surprise and his cheeks grew slightly pink. He grinned again, but this time it was much more spontaneous and genuine, all toothy and crooked. It was stupidly cute. “Yeah? I could say the same about yours.”

Her stomach flipped and she actually giggled. God, how embarrassing. She sounded like Roxy back when she was being oblivious about how much Sam liked her. Ew. She could see Sam watching the display out of the corner of her eye, grinning like an idiot, while Ross was pointedly ignoring them.

“Cuuuute,” Sam sang. That seemed to cause Drew to remember that they had an audience and he flushed even redder, turning away from Leif and back to the table. Leif followed his lead, trying to ignore how it seemed that Drew had moved slightly closer to her than he’d been at the start of lunch. He was warm.

The awkward silence that followed was thankfully broken by the cafeteria door opening and Roxy making her way over to their table, boldly only using one crutch in her right hand so that she could hold onto her Mcdonalds coke in her left. Every few steps she was lightly putting weight onto her right leg, limping slightly, before supporting it with the crutch again. She’d been regaining strength in her leg a lot faster than her doctors had predicted, so her physical therapist had her doing stuff like that to help get her leg used to supporting her weight again, despite the fact that it hadn’t even been two months yet. Leif theorised that it had something to do with the werewolf factor, but none of them could really be sure. Maybe Roxy was just built different.

“Guess who just got officially diagnosed with PTSD!” she said in a sing-song voice, settling down next to Sam. 

“Woo! Get it, queen!” Leif cheered, playing along.

“Uh, is that a… good thing?” Drew questioned, sounding very unsure of himself.

Roxy shrugged. “Eh, we all knew I had it, it just takes a while before they can diagnose it. The benefit is that I can get medication for it now.”

Drew nodded along, clearly still a little taken aback. He was such a dork. “Oh, okay. Net positive then.”

“Honestly, I’ve been thinking about getting tested for it as well,” Sam said, looking at her tray and not making eye contact. “The stuff I used to struggle with when I was a kid, a-after my parents, is pretty similar to what I’ve seen of Roxy’s symptoms. I’m not really sure how much difference it would make now, as I’m a lot better, but it would be interesting to know regardless.”

“I’ll hook you up with my psych,” Roxy joked.

“What happened with your parents? If it’s okay of me to ask,” Drew questioned.

“Oh, I… I lost them at a young age. It’s a long story, and not one I’m super keen on sharing right now,” Sam replied.

Drew wilted a little. “I’m sorry. I never met my parents.”

“Mine died in a car crash when I was eight,” Ross said, speaking up for the first time.

Leif slapped the table in an impression of the car salesman meme, attempting to lift the mood a little. “This bad boy can fit so many traumatised teens on it!”

It had the intended effect and got everyone to laugh a little. Drew turned to her. “What about you? Since we’re all swapping war stories.”

Leif smirked at him. “I see through you, Drew. You’re just fishing for the ear story. You gotta be in the inner circle for that bit of gossip.”

“Inner circle, huh?” He flashed her a grin, looking her up and down. “Well, I’m not sure what your entrance requirements are, but if it means getting closer to you, I’d be more than happy to give it a shot.”

Leif’s whole body flushed with heat. “W-well, I… certainly wouldn’t mind that.”

Seriously? That was the best I could come up with in response? Come ON, brain, work with me here! Mama wants to get laid!

Ross made a gagging noise. “Gross, dude. Keep it in your pa- Oh, shit. Kimberly, one o’clock.”

The whole group tensed up. Leif swallowed thickly, turning to see the girl in question stalking towards them. Her arm was out of its cast, so she was no doubt looking for some sort of revenge. Her heart lurched in worry for Roxy. If she was Kimberly’s goal, she was definitely an easy target right now. She steeled herself. Leif wasn’t gonna let that happen, and she knew Sam wouldn’t either. Her pack was here for her, and Leif wasn’t scared of her anymore.

Kimberly stepped up behind Sam, looking at Drew with an innocent expression on her face. Roxy pried open the lid of her coke, reaching for Sam’s carton of orange juice and pouring some of it into the cup. “Hey, new kid. A little word of advice, since you clearly don’t know how things work around here, but I wouldn’t get seen sitting at this table if I were you. Well, not unless you want everyone to think that you’re a fag, that is.”

Drew frowned. “Excuse me?”

“You know, by association? You’re sitting next to a tranny, after all. What do you think people will think?”

Leif’s blood froze in her veins like ice. She hadn’t told Drew about that yet. She didn’t know how he would react. She didn’t think he would mind, but sometimes it was impossible to know. Well, he knew now, regardless of what she wanted. She could only hope for the best. Roxy reached over and grabbed Leif’s chocolate milk, pouring some into her cup as well.

“Back off, Kimberly,” she said tersely, stirring the mixture with her straw and sniffing it, only to recoil in disgust. 

“I wasn’t talking to you, cripple. Now-”

“How’s your arm? Still sore?” Roxy retorted. She spat into the cup and stirred it in with the rest of the concoction. What was she doing?

Kimberly snarled, her composure cracking. “That was a fucking fluke and you know it, rug-muncher. You want a rematch? Just say the word and I’d be happy to fuck your face up even more.”

Sam and Leif both simultaneously stood up, closely followed by Drew. Kimberly backed up as Sam crowded her against the table. “Roxy’s not the only one who knows how to break your arm. Watch your mouth.”

“Seconded,” Drew said, walking around to lean over Kimberly next to Sam. “I don’t know what your issue is, but you should know that I don’t take kindly to bullies. Leave before I do something you regret.”

His defence made Leif’s heart soar with admiration. She moved around the table to Roxy’s side, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You alright?”

Roxy nodded, slowly standing up and clutching that cup like a lifeline. “It’s fine, guys. Let’s just go.”

Sam glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and backed away from Kimberly, as did Drew. Kimberly scoffed. “What, too scared? Don’t worry, I’m not a dyke. I’m not gonna molest you like your kidnappers did. Oh, but you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Leif swore you could hear a pin drop with how silent the cafeteria had become. Everyone was listening in to the exchange with bated breath. Roxy turned back to Kimberly, an unimpressed look on her face. Inexplicably, she cracked a smile. Before anyone could register what was happening, Roxy lifted up her cup and dumped the whole thing out on top of Kimberly’s head. The milk had curdled in the acidity of the coke and, combined with the pulp of the juice, it gave the sticky mixture the same consistency as vomit.

Roxy dropped the cup on the floor and turned, limping her way out of the cafeteria without another word. Kimberly was stunlocked, just standing there with her mouth gaping open like a fish as the sickly-sweet smelling liquid dripped down her face. Leif didn’t want to be there when she finally snapped out of it, so she followed Roxy’s lead and quickly made her way out into the halls, Sam and Drew following close behind.

“Well, shit,” Drew said once they’d caught up with Roxy. “I’d heard that she bullied you guys in the past, but wow. What a bitch.”

“You haven’t seen half of it,” Roxy muttered.

“You reckon she’ll leave well enough alone after that?”

She sighed. “Probably not. She was alone today, though. Looks like even her friends are sick of her shit. She won’t be starting any fights she knows she can’t win. I just…” She looked over her shoulder at Leif. “She’s done some truly reprehensible stuff in the past, which is what I broke her arm for. Even without her friends, I’m worried she’ll try something like that again.”

Leif smiled comfortingly. “I can handle myself now, Rox, no need to worry. If she tries that again, she’ll be in for another trip to the hospital.”

Drew looked at her, concerned. “What did she do to you?”

She waved a hand. “Eh, you know, tied me up on the roof half naked, beat me up, wrote slurs on me in permanent marker. Nothing I couldn’t… N-nothing I couldn’t handle.” Her voice faltered at the end as the memories of her experience resurfaced. Hoo boy, maybe she wasn’t as over it as she thought. Bury it down, Leif. It could’ve been so much worse.

Something that sounded an awful lot like a growl rumbled from Drew’s throat for a split second before he cut it off. “She really did that? How wasn’t she expelled?”

“It happened on the last day of school and Kimberly was never caught in any official capacity. Roxy definitely didn’t let her get away with it, though.” She smiled at the memory of Roxy kicking that bitch’s ass.

To her surprise, a warm arm looped around her shoulders and she found herself being pulled close to Drew’s side. The butterflies in her stomach felt like they were flying through a hurricane. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. Must’ve been awful.”

“Y-yeah,” she muttered. She glanced up at him. He was smiling at her with such warmth that it felt almost impossible not to just surge up and kiss him right there. She couldn’t, not yet. There was something she needed to address first. Her gaze flickered back downwards. “Uh… about what she said back there… a-about me, I-”

“Oh, that? I’m, uh… not super educated on that stuff, but I think I get the gist of it.” He smiled and winked at her. “That doesn’t change anything for me, don’t worry.”

Leif hesitated. “Uh, just so we’re sure you’re thinking of the right thing, what exactly do you think it is?”

“Doesn’t it mean you’ve got a, uh…” He stuck out a half-drooped finger. “Instead of a…” He made a circle with his forefinger and his thumb. “That’s it, right?”

Leif snorted at the obscene gestures. He was such a himbo. “It’s, uh, a little more complex than that, but I guess that’s the general gist of it, yeah. I was gonna get around to telling you eventually, but she got there first.”

He grinned. “Cool. Yeah, I don’t care about that. You’re still a girl.” He paused, frowning slightly. “Wait, you are a girl, right? That’s how it works?”

She couldn’t help but giggle at his well-intentioned ignorance. “Yes, I’m a girl.”

“Awesome. I like girls.”

“Same,” Roxy and Sam both said in unison. Sam leaned down and gave Roxy a kiss, prompting Drew to gasp.

“Wait, you two are together?! I thought y’all were just good friends!”

Leif snorted.

—

Pedro stepped into his apartment, locking the door behind him. It had been a long day of not much at all. He’d done some paperwork, solved an apparent break-in that just turned out to be the victim’s mother coming to visit while they were away, and then did some more paperwork. He cracked his sore neck and settled down on the couch, turning the TV on to some random channel.

He sighed, the boredom building steadily as he stared at the screen, not really intaking much of anything. He missed the training course. He missed having a reason to go out every day and spend time with his pack. Sure, once Roxy was back on her feet they’d be starting up again, but that was going to take a long time. While he still saw his pack fairly regularly - maybe once every week or two, usually when they met up for dinner at Carol’s - it wasn’t nearly as much as he would’ve liked. He missed them. He missed his family.

His phone buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket to find a message from Sam.

Sam

(4:15pm) Hey could you come over please? It’s important

What is it? Is something wrong? (4:15pm)

(4:15pm) Nothing’s wrong, dw. Can’t explain over phone tho. Just come.

He frowned. It must have something to do with werewolves, then. Regardless, he wasn’t going to complain at such a blatant excuse to see his pack. A thought occurred in the back of his mind, reminding him of something he’d been meaning to do.

Alright. Is Roxy there? (4:16pm)

(4:16pm) Yeah, why?

No reason. Be there soon. (4:16pm)

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and got up, grabbing the specially made cane off of the table. He’d been meaning to surprise Roxy with it for a while, but he just hadn’t found the time yet. He was hesitant to do it with her parents around, especially her mother, given the gift’s… nature, so it had been difficult to find a good opportunity to hand it over. Honestly, he didn’t even know if she’d like it. He was usually terrible with gifts and, under ordinary circumstances, something like this could definitely be seen as a bit gaudy or tasteless. He never would have even considered getting her something like this if it wasn’t for the fact that she actually needed a mobility aid right now, as was not the case with most people who got canes like this one. The idea just popped into his head one day after visiting her in the hospital. She liked swords, and she would need a mobility aid for a while, so why not combine the two things into a personalised gift just for her? A cane sword seemed like the perfect thing. He’d even made sure that, once she was able to walk on her own again, the design was low-key enough that she would be able to wear it on her hip as a regular sword, as to avoid the inherent tackiness that came with owning a cane sword while not actually needing to use it as a cane. Regardless of the mental gymnastics he’d done to justify it in his head, he was certain that she would at least appreciate the thought.

He made his way out of the apartment building and got into his car, pulling out onto the road as thoughts of what this could be about overtook his mind. Could it be that Roxy’s werewolf side had progressed unexpectedly? Or maybe it was something to do with Sam? Perhaps the hunters had made another move? No, it couldn’t be that, Sam said that nothing was wrong. Regardless of the futility of the exercise, he couldn’t stop his mind from racing with half-baked theories even if he’d wanted to, as it was with all mysteries that presented themselves to him, no matter how small.

After a short drive, he pulled into the Walkers’ driveway. Carol’s car was there, as was Clarissa’s, and even Damien’s, if he wasn’t mistaken on the model. Whatever this was must be bigger than he thought. He noticed the lights were off inside the house as he stepped out of his car. His confusion greater than ever, he walked up to the front door and knocked on it. He waited a good thirty seconds for a response, but no one answered. Okay, seriously, what was this? He could sense his pack’s presence inside the house, but no one was making a sound. He didn’t want to be rude and just barge in there, but seeing no other option, he tested the doorknob and found it to be unlocked. He opened the door and-

“SURPRISE!”

A chorus of cheerful voices filled his ears as the lights flicked on and his friends all jumped out of hiding. Everyone was there: his pack, Sam’s family, Clarissa and Damien. Sure, it wasn’t really that many people, but the sight of pretty much everyone he cared about - barring Valerie - all in the same room made his heart soar. There was someone he didn’t know standing off to the side, but from the way that Leif was practically hanging off his arm, he could hedge his bets. He remembered her talking about a new guy at school with just a little too much fondness at one of their dinners. A ‘happy birthday’ banner was hanging over the archway into the kitchen and the smell of roast beef wafting out from the oven was making his mouth water. “What… What is all of this?” he asked, a laugh bubbling from his chest.

“It’s your birthday, dummy,” Carol teased.

“It is?” He pulled out his phone and checked the date. September 27th. “Oh, it is! I completely forgot.” In truth, it had been quite a long time since he’d even acknowledged his birthday, let alone bothered to celebrate it. Without anyone to celebrate with, he usually didn’t see the point. This year was different, though. He’d found his old friends and made new ones, made a new family for himself. He wasn’t alone anymore.

“Yep!” Carol said, handing him a beer. “Happy birthday, Pluma!”

He grinned, looking around the room. “Thanks so much, everyone. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything, old man,” Clarissa interjected. “Let’s just have a good time!”

With that, things started moving and the party kicked off. There was music playing throughout the house and everybody was mingling about, drinking and snacking on finger food. He made his way over to Roxy where she was sitting with the rest of their pack. “Hey, kid. I got you something.” He held out the cane to her.

Roxy tilted her head in curiosity and amusement. “Huh? You do realise it’s your birthday, right?” She took the cane from him and inspected it. “Oh, a cane. Uhh, thanks.” It was clear she was trying not to appear ungrateful for the gift, and he couldn’t really blame her.

“Well, I’d been meaning to give this to you, and how was I supposed to know it was my birthday today, huh?” He grinned and she laughed. “It’s not just a cane, by the way. I know you’re not going to need walking aids forever, so it would seem a little pointless otherwise. There should be a little latch around that seam there, press it and pull on the top.”

Roxy frowned as she fiddled with the cane, following his instructions. The latch clicked down and the handle of the cane became the hilt of a blade as she unsheathed the sword from its hiding place in the shaft. Her face lit up and her eyes sparkled with glee. “Holy shit! Pedro! This is awesome!”

Pedro backed up as she gave the blade a few slow test swings. It was a little awkward from her seated position, but it seemed to have the desired effect, if the way that her smile steadily grew wider and wider as she went on was any indication. “Wow, the balance is perfect!”

Leif let out a painfully fake cough. “Sword lesbian,” she muttered.

Roxy ignored her and slid the sword back into its sheath, standing up to test the cane out for its intended use. “Honestly, you couldn’t have timed this better. I’ve just started working on putting weight on my leg again, so I think I’ll be getting a lot of use out of this. Not to mention the fact that it’s a fucking cane sword! How cool is that?!”

Pedro smiled. “I’m glad you like it. Just don’t tell your parents.” He winked.

“Pedro!” Damien called as he crossed the room towards them. “Did you just give my daughter a sword?!”

“Oh shit.”

—

“Remind me, what’s your relationship to this guy again?” Drew asked. He and Leif were standing off in a corner as the rest of the party went on around them. Most of the adults were currently engaged in conversation and Sam and Roxy were outside, presumably testing out Roxy’s new sword.

“Eh, it’s a little complicated,” Leif answered. “He’s family, though. Maybe not by blood, but still. Roxy, Sam, and I, we wouldn’t be who we are today without his help. Clarissa’s too.”

Drew raised an eyebrow. “Honestly, that just gives me more questions than it answers. So, what, you three are like his kids or something?”

Leif scoffed. “No, nothing like that. He’s more of a… mentor, I guess. He taught us what we know.”

Drew just shook his head with a laugh. “You just keep getting more mysterious every time you open your mouth.”

“Look, it would make more sense with some more context, but it isn’t really my place to share that stuff. All you need to know is that he means a lot to us, and vice versa.”

He nodded. “I can accept that.” She sensed there was more he wanted to say there, but he moved on. “What was with him getting Roxy a sword, though? That was a little weird.”

Leif grinned. “Roxy loves swords, and she’s good at using them, too. Even with her leg the way it is at the moment, I’m still not sure I’d be able to beat her in a swordfight.”

“Do you even know how to sword fight?”

“Yeah, Pedro taught us.”

Drew chuckled. “Of course, I should’ve known.”

A comfortable silence stretched between them as they looked out over the party. It wasn’t really Leif’s idea of a ‘good time,’ but it was nice to see Pedro and socialise a bit regardless, not to mention the opportunity to hang out with Drew outside of school. Sam and Roxy did have to pressure her a little bit before she worked up the nerve to invite him, but she was glad that they did. She could feel the warmth of his body as he stepped just a little closer to her, though she pretended to ignore it.

“Hey, uh… Leif, I was wondering,” he started. She turned back to him and noticed a slight blush on his cheeks. “Is there anywhere here we could go to… uh, you know, get away?”

Her breath hitched as she realised what he was asking. She grinned. “U-uh, yeah! Follow me!”

Her heart was beating so hard in her chest as she led him towards the basement that she was worried he’d be able to hear it. There were only a few things ‘get away’ could possibly mean, and all of them spelled good fortunes for her very near future. A giddy feeling overtook her and she could barely stop herself from laughing out loud. Maybe this party would be a good time after all?

She opened the door and ushered him inside with possibly a little too much eagerness, if the teasing grin in his face was anything to go by. Honestly, she couldn’t care less. She knew she hadn’t exactly been subtle with the way her affections flew, and neither had Drew. Hell, probably the only reason they weren’t officially dating already was because they just hadn’t talked about it yet. Strangely enough, Leif had a hunch that was about to change.

“Th-this is where we usually hang out whenever we come over here,” Leif explained, trying to bury her nerves as Drew inspected the room.

“Looks cozy,” he said, sitting down on the couch. He smiled warmly at her and tapped the space next to him in an obvious request for her to sit. She took a deep breath and accepted the invitation, settling in against his side. The whole exchange had an almost suffocating air of anticipation to it.

“So…” he muttered, maybe a little awkwardly, but who was judging? It was clear from the way that he was tightly gripping his knees that he was more than a little nervous as well. Leif licked her lips as he turned and finally made eye contact. 

“Do you wanna make out?”

Leif blinked in surprise as the question hung in the air between them. She threw up what was hopefully a teasing smirk to cover up the swirling vortex in her stomach. “I-I mean, yes, but don’t people usually talk about their feelings before they get to that point?”

He shrugged, mustering a grin. “I think it’s been made pretty clear how we both feel already, don’t you?” 

She leaned forward, her eyes flicking downwards. “Isn’t that a little presumptuous of you?”

His hand found her cheek, and she let out a tiny gasp as the contact sent shivers down her spine. “You didn’t say no.” 

She smiled and hummed an agreement, and the next thing she knew, his lips were pressing against hers in an eager kiss, sending sparks of electricity coursing through her body. She let him push her back against the arm of the couch as her hands buried themselves in his hair and he let out an adorable grunt when her nails scraped along his scalp. His hand ghosted across the shaved side of her head and came to settle against her neck, his thumb stroking her cheek. She sighed contentedly against him.

He pulled back for a split second to grin at her before diving forward again, her breath hitching as his free hand found her side and his tongue parted her lips. She readily accepted his advances, pushing back up against him in kind. Her hands trailed around his face and neck, all the way down to his chest and back around behind him in an embrace, pulling his body closer to hers as she shifted her hips up involuntarily. Her whole body tingled with warmth as the action prompted him to slip a hand under the hem of her shirt and onto her bare skin. She groaned in satisfaction and he chuckled, grinning against her mouth.

Yeah, this party was turning out alright.

—

Roxy stepped back inside, very much regretting not bringing her crutches with her when she and Sam went out the back to test her new sword. Sure, she could put a little bit of weight on her leg now, but the cane wasn’t nearly as supportive as her crutches were, and her leg was really starting to ache. Thankfully, Sam was there to retrieve them for her.

“Wanna go down to the basement?” she asked Sam, swapping out the cane for her crutches. “I’m beat, I just wanna chill out for the rest of the night.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sam replied with a shrug. “I’m just gonna grab a few more roast beef and gravy rolls first.” She grinned and Roxy could practically see her salivating at the thought. 

Roxy chuckled. “Sure, knock yourself out. I’ll meet you down there.”

Sam went off to the kitchen and Roxy made her way over to the door of the basement. She was about to open it when an unexpected noise from beyond the door made her pause. Now obviously, she could identify her best friend’s voice anywhere, but she’d definitely never heard it at this particular cadence before. It quickly became clear to her what exactly was going on down there, and a slight blush formed on her cheeks. She sighed. While she didn’t really want to cockblock her friend, it was kinda their own fault for choosing to get freaky somewhere where anyone could walk in at any time. She and Sam had made that mistake far too many times. She loudly banged on the door a few times to announce herself and then waited a few more seconds before entering.

“Hah! Uh, h-hi, Roxy! Wh-what’s up?” Leif asked, a suspiciously wide grin on her very red face. Her hair and clothes were all mussed up and her neck was covered in bruises. Drew was in a similar state of dishevelment, leaning back against the couch and trying to look casual. Roxy snorted at the scene in front of her.

“Just looking for a place to relax. I’m not… interrupting anything, am I?” she asked with a cheeky grin. 

“N-nope! We were just, ah…” Roxy watched as Leif’s gaze flashed towards the TV and savoured the expression on her face as she realised that it was off, ruining her only reasonable excuse. “Uh… wrestling?”

Roxy laughed out loud as she made her way to the opposite end of the couch, grabbing the remote from the coffee table as she passed. “Yeah, with your tongues, maybe. Look, I’m sorry for barging in and ruining your fun, but my leg is killing me and this is the only place I can really unwind with the party going on.”

“N-nah, it’s cool. It’s, uh… probably a good thing you interrupted, actually,” Leif said, sharing a look with Drew. “I don’t think we would’ve stopped otherwise, and, uh… things were starting to get a little heated.”

Roxy shot Leif an unimpressed look as she flipped the TV on to a random channel. “I can see that. I’m happy for you, though. Congrats on your first straight relationship.” She smirked.

Drew blinked. “Wait, I’m really your first?”

Leif balked. “No! I went out with Ross back at the start of highschool, remember?”

“I would argue that doesn’t count, you still thought you were a boy back then, so the intention was still gay. Plus, that was like, a few days at the most, anyway.”

Leif scoffed. “Okay then, by that logic, what about the time you and I kissed?”

“That doesn’t count either. It was a one-off, not a relationship. Also, I specifically remember that as being after you came out to me, so it was still definitely gay. I wouldn’t have agreed if I thought you were a boy.”

“Hold up!” Sam’s voice echoed down the stairs as she came running into the room, a plate of roast beef and gravy rolls in hand. “Did I hear that right?! You two kissed at some point? How did I not know about this?”

Roxy shrugged. “Eh, neither of us had done it before and we wanted to know what it was like. It wasn’t anything serious.”

“Wow,” Sam muttered. “Huh, you learn something new every day, I guess.” She settled on the couch next to Roxy. There was something a little off in the tone of her voice, and from the feelings swimming through from her mark, Roxy could hedge a guess as to what it was.

“Wait, are you jealous?”

Sam’s eyes shot open. “No! I just-! Y-you were my first kiss, and I was under the impression that I was yours as well…” She laughed. “It’s stupid, I know, it just… surprised me.”

Roxy rubbed her arm comfortingly. “Hey, it’s okay, I can see where you’re coming from. If it makes you feel any better, you were my first for everything else.”

Sam took a bite from one of her rolls. “It’s okay, you don’t need to console me. I know I’m your favourite.” She smirked.

Roxy rolled her eyes, leaning closer to her partner and stealing a roll from her plate. “Obviously.”

“Hey Sam, are there still more of those?” Drew asked, eyeing the plate hungrily.

“Surprisingly, yeah, though you should probably move quick. Food goes pretty fast around Pedro, Clarissa and me. Three werewolves at one party means not a lot of food for anyone else.” She laughed, seemingly unaware of what just slipped out of her mouth. From the way her face dropped a few seconds later, though, it didn’t take long for her to catch up.

“Werewolves?” Drew asked, his brow furrowing. 

“Oh, that’s just an inside joke, b-because they can eat so much,” Leif immediately jumped in to attempt damage control. “Y’know, ravenous like werewolves?”

Drew nodded slowly, though his face was still contemplative. “Right… of course.” 

Roxy couldn’t be sure, but he didn’t seem entirely convinced. Fear knotted around in her stomach. There was no way he was a hunter, right? Surely Leif wouldn’t accidentally end up getting involved with two hunters in a row, and besides, they had no base in Dewsbury anymore. They wouldn’t be back so soon, they were still too busy regrouping. They had to be, nothing else made any sense. But… Why did he react like that, then? What reason did he have to not just accept Leif’s explanation at face value? 

Thankfully, he got up and left to go get some more food before Roxy could spiral any further. Sam wrapped her in a hug. “Hey, it’s okay, he doesn’t know. You’re safe.”

“Th-that… that reaction was weird though, right? I wasn’t the only one that noticed that?”

“No, you’re right, that was a little odd,” Leif said. “I don’t think it’s that deep, though. If he actually knew about werewolves, I think he would’ve just admitted it when Sam brought them up. He was probably just trying to make sense of my explanation.” She laughed. “It was a little contrived.”

Roxy shuddered a breath. “I’m just saying, he showed up and inserted himself into our friend group right after the hunters lost their hold on Dewsbury. What if he’s a spy or something? To keep an eye on things while they regroup?”

Leif gave Roxy a pitying look. “Hey, I understand where you’re coming from, but trust me, he’s harmless. If he was a hunter, wouldn’t he be trying to hide the fact that he knows about werewolves from us? He would’ve just accepted my explanation without pushing it, right? But he didn’t do that, he actually looked like he thought about it. Like I said, he was just trying to make sense of it.”

Roxy sighed. Of course. Once again, her mind was seeing every errant shadow as a threat. Why couldn’t she just be normal again? “I’m… I’m just being paranoid, aren’t I?”

“I can’t really blame you, considering what you went through. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll keep a close eye on him, okay? If he is hiding something, I’ll figure it out.”

Roxy shook her head. “No, I can’t ask you to do that. I… I trust your judgement, even if I’m not sure about him yet. I don’t want my stupid mental illness to get in the way of your relationship.”

Leif smiled softly and took her hand. “It’s okay, you’re not. Thank you for trusting me, though. Personally, I think he’s alright.”

“Yeah, that much is clear from the state of your neck,” Sam interjected with a laugh.

Leif’s grin turned devious. “Oh, trust me, it’s a lot more than just my neck.”

“Leif! TMI!”

—

Drew smiled up at Leif as she straddled his hips, admiring her shirtless form. They were lying on his bed, having gone back to his place after they’d had enough of the party, and things had only progressed from there. His gaze wandered over the bruises he’d left on her chest and neck and his heart fluttered at the memory of making them. There was just something so alluring about her, something he was caught up on that his previous girlfriends had lacked. Whether it was her fit, well-trained body; her sharp, teasing wit; or the cloud of intriguing mystery that surrounded her and her friends, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he was ridiculously, unfairly attracted to her.

“You’re really pretty,” he muttered, running his hands up her sides.

She laughed, leaning down close to his face. “You’re really hot,” she replied, accentuating it with a lingering kiss. They rolled onto their sides as they separated, staring into each other's eyes. 

“Do you wanna keep going?” he asked, his voice low. His hands travelled down to the waistband of her jeans, hopefully making his intention clear.

Leif hesitated, her eyes flickering away. “I… I don’t know. I don’t think I’m ready for you to see… see what I got just yet.” She met his gaze again. “I wouldn’t mind just staying like this, though. I-if that’s okay.”

He smiled warmly. “Of course it’s okay. You know I don’t care about that stuff, though, right?”

“Y-yeah, it’s just… more of a mental hurdle I have to jump first.” Her gaze turned distant. “The last person I showed myself to ended up getting my best friend kidnapped, and I don’t really want to open my heart up to that kind of hurt again unless I’m sure, y’know?”

Drew blinked. “Wait, really? You mean Roxy’s kidnapping, right?”

Leif sucked in a long breath. “Yeah. It’s kind of a long story, but it turned out that the girl I was seeing at the time was actually the daughter of the guy at the head of the cult that kidnapped her. She was the one that told them where Roxy was gonna be and when, which is what allowed them to kidnap her. Sh-she… she didn’t actually know what they were gonna do with her, but… she still caused it, y’know? I… I still don’t know if she ever even liked me, or if it was all just to get closer to Roxy. It seemed genuine at the time, but I really have no way to know.” She sniffled, her eyes growing wet. “Shit. Sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about my ex right now. That was rude.”

Drew pulled her close as a few errant tears spilled down her face, tucking her against his chest. “No, it’s okay. I… I’m sorry, it must’ve been awful.”

Leif sighed heavily. “Yeah… Sam tried to knock her teeth out when we found out. Probably would’ve succeeded if Pedro hadn’t been there to stop her.”

“I probably would’ve done the same in her position,” he muttered. “You three have all been through a lot, huh?”

Leif chuckled wetly. “They don’t call us the ‘Trauma Trio’ for nothing.”

Drew frowned. “Who calls you that?”

“No one, I just made it up.”

He laughed, nuzzling against her hair and breathing her in. They didn’t talk for a while after that, just lying there and soaking up the affection of their cuddle, savouring the feeling of her skin against his. He was just about falling asleep to the sound of her heartbeat when she next spoke.

“I was shot.”

He blinked back awake. “Huh?”

Leif shifted back and brushed the hair covering her damaged ear away. “My ear. It was shot. You were curious, right?”

“Y-yeah, but… wow, I can’t say I expected that. How did it happen?”

“I’m, uh… not actually supposed to tell anyone this. It’s meant to be confidential, but what the hell, right?” She took a deep breath. “Have you read the actual news story about Roxy’s escape? It says that two unnamed people snuck into the hun- th-the cultists hideout and broke her out.”

Drew frowned. Where was she going with this? “Yeah, I have.”

“Well, in truth… those two people were actually me and Sam.”

Drew gaped. “Holy shit. You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. I’ll, uh… I’ll spare you some of the messier, more illegal details, but I was shot when some guy saw through our disguises and tried to get us. Bullet grazed my ear and took a chunk out of it. Could’ve been a lot worse, so I can’t complain.”

“Jesus… but, wait, didn’t people die during her escape? That’s what the article said. Are you saying that you-”

“Roxy’s life was on the line, okay?” Leif’s voice turned hard. “Sam and I… We just did what we had to do. Those people were monsters, they deserved whatever happened to them. If you saw the state Roxy was in when we found her, you’d feel the same. Sam did most of it, anyway, I only… I only killed one, the guy who shot Roxy in the leg. I… I didn’t even think, I just saw him aiming at us and reached for my gun.”

Drew paused, reflecting on what she’d said. She was right, he probably would feel the same. Hell, he’d been in similar situations in the past, using his powers to inflict justice on those who had hurt innocent people. Sure, he’d never actually killed anyone, but he certainly came close a few times, when he’d been so mad that he’d forgotten his own strength. Leif was no different from him, taking the law into her own hands to save the life of someone she cared about. The only real difference was that he had his powers to fall back on, while she didn’t.

Or, did she? What Sam said back at the party still hung on his mind. She called herself, Pedro, and that other woman ‘werewolves.’ Leif said that it was just a joke, but what if she was just covering for them? His powers allowed him to turn into a wolf, gave him the heightened strength and senses of a beast. What if that was what he was? A werewolf? It made too much sense. He’d never met anyone like him before, but Sam was just… too similar. He first started wondering about it when she was inexplicably able to hear what Simon was talking about halfway across the crowded cafeteria, something that should’ve been impossible for anyone with senses weaker than his. Then she mentioned werewolves, and apparently fought through an entire cultist’s hideout, practically all by herself if Leif’s account was to be believed. He couldn’t imagine her being able to do that without powers similar to his. But… How was he supposed to ask about it? If he was wrong, he was just going to sound crazy. At the same time, though, could he really afford not to? He’d spent his entire life wondering about who he was, and the answer might finally be within reach. No, he needed more information first. He needed to be sure.

“Drew?”

Leif’s voice dragged him back to the present. She was staring at him, her brows creased with worry. He cleared his throat. “Sorry, I was just… processing.”

“It is a lot to deal with, I get it.”

“You’re right, though. From everything I’ve heard about what happened to Roxy, those people really were the worst of the worst, and I… Yeah, I probably would’ve joined you guys, had we been friends back then. Lord knows I’ve already thrown myself into so much shit for other people. I mean… if you have the ability to do good and help someone who needs help, don’t you have a responsibility to follow through with it? That’s… that’s how I feel, anyway. Too many people in this world are bystanders. I don’t want to be one of them.”

Leif smiled. “That’s how I felt about it. I didn’t just want to sit by while my best friend was in trouble. I… I had the ability to help, I knew how to fight, and we knew where she was. My only thought was ‘screw the police, I can do this myself!’” She laughed. “Definitely a little reckless in hindsight, but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.”

“Yeah. Hell, I’ve been expelled from five different schools for starting fights with bullies that the administration were too chicken-shit to deal with properly. No one deserves to be tormented like that.”

Leif chuckled. “We could’ve used you back when Kimberly was still a big problem for us. Her and her cronies knocked Roxy and I around more times than we can probably count.”

“I’ll gladly return the favour for you.” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

“Too bad for you that Sam already got there first. Kimberly started leaving us alone more when she came around, and I’m pretty sure it’s because Sam knocked her the fuck out.”

Drew shrugged. “From what I heard the other day, she clearly still needs some sense knocked into her. I’ll keep an eye out for the right opportunity.” He grinned.

Leif hummed. “Just don’t get expelled this time. I would miss seeing you at school.”

He smiled and gently kissed her. “Of course.”